Wealthiest college football programs are 1. Ohio State 2. Texas and 3. Alabama. Ohio State revenue was $251 million in the 2022 season.
College football programs are divided into multiple divisions, based on the level of resources and size of the respective institutions. The school with a large amount of resources will compete in the Division 1 category, while the smaller ones will compete in Division 3.
Due to the bigger size and resources available, the D1 schools will generally have more exposure and football fans. The D1 tournaments are televised more, with the viewership crossing millions for their regular and post-season games.
Likewise, the D1 and D2 colleges can offer athletic scholarships to the best players too, but the D3 ones lack this feature. So many top high school prospects jump ship to their favorite D1 or D2 schools (especially D1) that provide scholarships to them.
Highest Revenue College Football Teams
Most profitable college football teams comprise Texas, LSU, and Florida. LSU earned $199 million in revenue in 2022.
Wins and losses do not actually matter in the revenue department, and Texas is proof of that. They won 8 games and lost 5. Alabama, Michigan, and Georgia won more games than them, but still trail behind the Longhorns in revenue.
In 2021, the Longhorns were the richest at the Collegiate level, having $147 million in revenue by the end of the season. Texas A&M got tied in the ranking with equal money.
Here is the list of the top 15 colleges with the most revenue in the 2022 season:
- Ohio State – $251 million
- Texas – $239 million
- Alabama – $214 million
- Michigan – $210 million
- Georgia – $203 million
- LSU – $199 million
- Texas A&M – $193 million
- Florida – $190 million
- Penn State – $181 million
- Oklahoma – $177 million
- Auburn – $174 million
- Michigan State – $172 million
- Indiana – $166 million
- Virginia – $161.9 million
- Florida State – $161.1 million
As evident from the list, the major earners in the 2022 season are from SEC, Big 10, and Big 12 conferences. Ohio State is the wealthiest in the Big 10, while SEC has Alabama, and the Big 12’s richest is Texas.
Valuable Football Teams
Most valuable college football teams cover Texas, Ohio State, and Alabama. These three teams cross billion dollars in valuation.
The wealth of a college team is determined by the number of fans, their star players, and the facilities that the college can provide for their franchise. The majority of valuable teams also have a rich football history.
For CFB, there are various mechanisms that will help to drive money. For example, A demand for media viewership will rake in lots of broadcasting contracts from networks like ESPN and Fox. Similarly, a great stadium can draw large fandom and boost ticket sales.
Here is the list of top 10 teams with the highest valuation as of 2018:
- Texas – $1.105 billion
- Ohio State – $1.048 billion
- Alabama – $1.009 billion
- Michigan – $924 million
- Notre Dame – $913 million
- Georgia – $891 million
- Oklahoma – $885 million
- Auburn – $871 million
- LSU – $852 million
- Tennessee – $727 million
College Football Revenue By School
College Football revenue by school crossed the $200 million mark for teams Georgia, Michigan, Alabama, and two others.
Georgia won the National Championship. 22 collegiate programs reached the $150 million mark in their annual revenue.
| College | Revenue (2022) |
| Ohio State | $251M |
| Texas | $239M |
| Alabama | $214M |
| Michigan | $210M |
| Georgia | $203M |
| LSU | $199M |
| Texas A&M | $193 |
| Florida | $190M |
| Penn State | $181M |
| Oklahoma | $177M |
| Auburn | $174M |
| Michigan State | $172M |
| Indiana | $166M |
| Virginia | $161M |
| Florida State | $161M |
| Kentucky | $159M |
| Clemson | $158M |
| Tennessee | $154M |
| Oregon | $153M |
| Arkansas | $152M |
The SEC conference featured nine teams in this category, including the famous Alabama and LSU. The revenue trajectory has increased considerably since only 1 SEC franchise crossed $150 million in the 2014 season.
However, the collegiate teams also had their own share of expenses that crossed hundreds of millions for the top 25 revenue earners.
For instance, Michigan earned $210 million in revenue, but its expenses were also high, i.e. $193 million. Likewise, other teams like Oklahoma spent $175 million in the 2022 season and earned $177 million in revenue.
When we calculate in this order, the net profit featured a lower value. Oklahoma only had about $2 million worth of net profit. Moreover, two top teams, i.e. Tennesseee and Washington saw their expenses higher than revenue. Tennesseee earned $154 million but also spent $157 million too.
Most Expensive College Football Facilities
Most expensive college football facilities cover Arkansas Razorbacks at $160 million and Auburn Tigers at $92 million.
Auburn’s costly facility contains a wide array of resources available for athletes. Some include a weight room, hydrotherapy, recruit lounges, a flight simulator, and a multi-purpose kitchen.
Oregon
Oregan Ducks have a $68 million worth football nest called Hatfield-Dowlin Complex that covers 145,000 sq feet. This nest was built years ago and would cost more today.
With added facilities of a movie theater that holds 170 seating capacity and saunas, the Ducks players have been blessed to be in one of the best programs that provide ample luxurious facilities.
They have self-cleansing lockers and barber shops, and they were the first teams in college to incorporate these new things. The player lounges are filled with materials that are on the NFL level.
Oregon has also developed plans to make a new football practice facility that will cover 170,000 sq ft by 2024.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies have built a $485 million project called Bright Football Complex that offers luxuries to its players and visitors.
The Vicky and Terry Klein ’78’s locker rooms are fabulous and LED lights are present throughout the complex, making it seem as if you have stepped ahead in time to play football.
Multiple renovations have been done for the Complex. Some new things added include the team areas and a Lohman Center that cost $4 million. There are hydrotherapy pools and advanced medicine facilities too.
Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide contains Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility which is their iconic facility for the football program.
The Moore Athletic Facility has many places that offer great training and other services to their athletes. There is well-equipped strength and conditioning center that covers 20,000 sq ft, along with premium areas like Terrace Club and Founders Suites.
Similarly, the facility also holds the Hall of Champions on the second floor, which showcases the players’ and teams’ achievements. Renovations were done twice since the 2005 season.
Here is a list of some other colleges with expensive collegiate football facilities:
- Oregon – $68 million
- Texas A&M – $485 million
- Alabama – $9.1 million weight room
- Clemson – $55 million upgrade
- Georgia – $80 million upgrade
- LSU – $28 million upgrade
- Ohio State – $7.8 million upgrade
- Texas – $40 million indoor practice facility
- Auburn – $92 million
- Northwestern – $260 million
- Oklahoma – $160 million
- Maryland – $150 million
Best College Football Facilities
Best college football facilities are hands down Alabama’s Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility and Clemson’s Allen N. Reeves Football Complex.
These facilities feature everything a player needs in order to feel comfortable and energized. From great ambiance to barber shops and great lounges, these areas are works of wonder for a college level.
Here is the list of the top 10 college football facilities in the country:
- Clemson – Allen N. Reeves Football Complex
- Alabama – Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility
- Oregon – Hatfield-Dowlin Complex
- South Carolina – Cyndi and Kenneth Long Family Football Operations Center
- Texas A&M – Bright Football Complex
- Ohio State – Woody Hayes Athletic Center
- LSU – LSU Football Operations Center
- Oklahoma – Barry Switzer Center
- Texas – Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
- Notre Dame – Irish Indoor Athletics Center